Through The Years
by kryia
Summary: Emma Approved Universe - A story of Alex and Emma's relationship and how it changes throughout their lives. First fan fic.
1. Chapter 1

Emma was twelve when it first happened. Her father told her at breakfast that they will be joined by the Knightley's for dinner that night. Emma took in the information fairly calmly, and passed it along to her older sister, Izzie, when she saw her reading in her window seat in her room. After seeing Izzie's lack of excitement, Emma left her room with a loud huff of annoyance. She headed into her bedroom and began her to execute her plan.

"First things should be first, always", she thought to herself. So, Emma began to head to her closet. She started to dig through her fairly impressive amount of clothing, looking for a particular outfit. This one outfit is the one that she feels makes her look the most "grown up", older that her twelve years of age. It makes her look fourteen or even fifteen, at least in her head it does. She let out a quiet cheer when she finally located it, then held it up looking for any tears or imperfections. On inspection she sees a limp collar, limp cuffs and some wrinkles so she decided to take the outfit down to the laundry room to fix those tiny imperfections before they mar her plan.

She went to the laundry room and prepared the area for a good starching and ironing session. She pulled the board out and set up the iron to get hot while she removed the clothes from the hanger. She slowly and methodically starched the cuffs and collars with some spray starch until they met her specifications. She then slowly ironed and steamed out all the wrinkles. She continued with this process until she was happy with the outcome. She put the outfit back on the hanger and put her tools back away before grabbing the hanger and headed back to her room.

Once she has returned to her room she checked the time. She still had about seven hours before dinner so she takes some time to use the computer in her room. She loaded up her yahoo messenger and checks in with a few online friends from school. They talked about the latest gossip and some friends before she noticed she had been online for three hours chattering away. She let them all go and then logged off to finish her plan. She stood up, crossed the room to grab clean undergarments and a robe and headed to her en suite bathroom.

She entered the bathroom and quickly undressed and hopped into the shower. She grumbled quietly while showering about "fathers who do not give their daughters enough time to properly carry out their plans." She finished up, dried and lotioned up and put on the clothes and robe she brought in with her. The she moves to the vanity to contemplate what to do with her hair. After about a 30 minute internal debate she decided to put her hair half up. This way she can show off her naturally glossy chestnut waves and the earrings that he gave her for Christmas. Luckily, those earring match her outfit perfectly. Or perhaps not so much since she took the earrings with her when she picked out the ensemble. Once her hair is done, she decides to wait on her makeup and actually getting her outfit on, since she still has about two and a half hours until dinner. Emma decided to go back to her desk and review her year outline.

Emma is a firm believer in planning. She makes an outline at the beginning of every school year with her goals firmly defined and a plan to make sure she achieves them. She rechecked the goals for this year, her first in junior high. She wanted to be editor of the yearbook, which was accomplished within two months. When the sponsor teacher saw how much work Emma did and how dedicated she was, there were just no other options. She wanted to be chosen to be the cheer leading captain for the next school year as well. That was also something that she easily accomplished. She took outside classes in hip hop dance and gymnastics to ensure that she was the best one for the job. Then, she began a rigorous campaign effort to make sure the instructors would only look at her as the replacement for the outgoing captain. Other students were just now quietly learning, anything Emma Woodhouse wants, she get when she wants it. So, with this in mind, Emma checked off some more details of the plan she was currently in the middle of. Once she reviewed the next step to her plans she saved her files and checked the time once again. It was now ninety minutes until dinner guests were scheduled to arrive.

She went back to the vanity in her bathroom and did a natural look for her make up. She was trying every trick in the book to make sure she doesn't look her age tonight. Once she was done with that she grabbed her outfit and got dressed for the evening. She finished dressing and put her matching shoes on for good measure before heading downstairs. She greeted her father with a bright sunny smile and gave the exact same smile to her sister. Izzie just smiled back, but she was totally aware of Emma's little scheme, even if Emma didn't know that. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Mr. Woodhouse went to open in and in entered Mr. and Mrs. Knightley. They said hello to each of the Woodhouses in turn, both of them sure to mention how adult young Emma was looking that evening. Once they were done, their oldest son John entered the foyer and said polite, but quick hellos to Emma and Mr. Woodhouse before focusing his attentions on Izzie. Mr. Knightley went back and shut the door, much to Emma's confusion. Mr. Woodhouse asked the question that is on the forefront of Emma's mind, "Where is Alex this evening?" Mrs. Knightley smiled and informed them that sixteen year old Alex was out on a date with the captain of the debate club this evening and would not be joining them.

Emma's face falls at this news, but she gathered her composure quickly. Not quite quickly enough that it wasn't notice by everyone at dinner. But Emma's girlish crush on Alex was something everyone knew about, but did not speak of. Emma lead everyone to the dining room where she proceeded to eat nothing and pick at her food until she was at the table for a proper amount of time. She then excused herself from the table under the guise of having a headache and quickly escaped to her room, missing the looks of pity and sadness on the faces of her table guests.

Once Emma got to her room, she deleted the "plan". With warm tears on her face she headed to her bathroom to get the makeup off her face and to change into clothes more appropriate for bed. She heard Izzie quietly knock sometime later, but she ignored it. Heartbroken, she curses Alex Knightley and swore in her mind that this would never happen to her again. Emma was twelve the first time she thinks her heart is broken, and it is all Alex Knightley's fault.


	2. Chapter 2

When Emma was fourteen she was a freshman at Emerson High School, a prestigious private school in California. Her father was on the board of governors there and wanted Emma there so she could be the very best she could be. She followed his advice to the letter. She joined several clubs, continued to be a cheerleader and maintained a perfect A average. She thought she had no room for boys in her life, which was exactly the way she was choosing to live since the embarrassing debacle when she was twelve. Emma still couldn't but that night out of her head. Although she continued to be friendly to the Knightley family, including Alex, who was a senior at that same school at the same time Emma was a freshman, things were not quite the same between her and Alex since that night. They were close, but still never quite the same.

Emma let her mind wander back to that event, thinking of all the things she could have done differently for about the millionth time when she accidentally collides with someone in the hall. She gets knocked onto her butt and then looks up and what put the Emma Woodhouse in this position. Through her annoyance she glances up to see Evan Daniels, standing there holding a hand out to help her up. Emma blinks and regains her composure before allowing the football player to help her up.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Evan started. "I was thinking about the research I needed to do for the debate team. Are you okay?" He looks Emma up and down making sure she isn't injured before he continued. "Hey, I've seen you around. Aren't you Emma Woodhouse?"

Emma blushed madly at this. While she was just a lowly freshman, Evan was a well sought after and fairly popular Junior. He was connected into all the social groups that were filled with the young up and comers like Emma herself wanted to be. She looked at Evan and in her best professional voice said, "Yes, I am. And aren't you Evan Daniels, star corner back and captain of the debate team?" She responded with a cheeky grin.

"That is very perceptive of you Miss Woodhouse. I'm glad neither of us were being particularly perceptive at the moment of our fortunate collision though. I've been meaning to try to find a reason to start a conversation with you for ages, but sadly, I am late for my meeting. Would you care to continue this conversation over dinner Friday night by chance?" Evan asked her looking hopeful.

Emma did not even hesitate in saying yes and gave Evan her number and yahoo contact information. She then went racing down the hall to her class to make sure she wasn't any later than she was already. She talked with her friends and went on with the rest of her day, waiting to get home to see if Evan would call or message her. By eight that evening she had nearly given up, talking to Izzie about it, and asking for advice. Izzie just told her little sister to be calm, if he is interested he will call, if not, then it wasn't worth sweating over. Alex popped online as well, she informed him of the date and Alex cryptically asked her if she thought this was a good idea and then told her to be careful. That made Emma pause and actually consider if this date was a good idea after all. She decided to see what would happen. So, Emma continued to wait for the phone to ring or the messenger box to pop up until her self appointed bedtime to no avail. She stopped and considered that Evan could have just been really busy that evening with homework or practice, so she blew off her stress about it and went to bed.

The next day at school was Thursday and it went on like every normal Thursday had the entire year long. Nothing different or out of the ordinary happened. Emma didn't see Evan at all that day. After school she went to swim practice then headed home afterwards. She got in, took a shower and ate with her family. She logged onto her computer to do her homework and left her messenger open just in case. She was only slightly tempted to look up Evan's number and check on him, but she put that idea to the side as she continued to catch up on her homework.

Friday came and Emma was incredibly excited. There was no school that day so she had the whole day to plan the perfect outfit for what she thought was going to be the perfect date. She had spent all day primping and making herself absolutely perfect. She was ready by six pm that night for her date. She went downstairs to wait in the sitting room of her house for him to arrive. She was no need for him to have to wait on her to come down.

The Knightleys were joining Mr. Woodhouse for dinner, along with their son, Alex. John and Izzie had gone off on a date of their own, after being coupled of for a few years now. Emma lets everyone know she is waiting on a date, and they leave her to it, wishing her a lovely time. Soon six, became seven which became 8. When nine came, Emma was devastated again. She excuses herself and goes into her room to change into more comfortable clothes. While up there, she saw that she had an email from Evan. Basically, it said that he wasn't coming and that him asking her on the date was nothing but an April Fool's joke that was devised by his friends. He was sorry that she was the victim and hoped that she would forgive him at some point. After reading the message she snuck down the backstairs to head to her favorite tire swing. She was out there for maybe five minutes when a shadowy figure comes to join her.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Alex begins. "Maybe he got sick or something." Emma began to sob and launched herself off her swing and into Alex who had opened his arms, expecting a typical Emma overreaction. "He isn't sick. He emailed me, it was all a joke. A prank, whatever they want to call it," Emma stated with a large bit of venom in her voice. Then she broke and cried again, "I wasn't good enough for him." Alex reaches up and rubs a hand over her hair and told her, "Yes you are, he is just an idiot." Then he leaned down and kissed her temple. Emma was 14 when he got her first kiss from a man, and it was all Alex Knightley's fault, again.


	3. Chapter 3

When Emma turned eighteen things became a bit more serious. She had become a strong, independent woman who was highly sought after by both males and females in her school for friendship and companionship. She had her choice in who she chose to associate with. She has put the setbacks that had happened earlier in her dating life far behind her. She did however, have a good relationship with Alex Knightley. She was actually in her room, composing a letter to him, while looking at a stuffed animal he had gotten her this past Christmas. She mentioned it in her letter and thanked him once again for it. She knew he was busy, Alex was in his third year in college, majoring in Business with a focus in accounting. She wrote to him about a few different things as well. She had just gotten her letter of acceptance into the same college Alex was currently attending, after applying there based on his suggestion. She also talked about her valedictory speech she was trying to write and the difficulty she was having in trying to pick someone to take her to the Senior formal. She had a few offers, but no one that she really wanted to spend that milestone with. She jokingly mentioned that it would be awesome in Alex would be home that weekend, because she could just go with him. She laughed at her joke and finished off the letter and sent it in the mail the next morning.

Later that week, Emma had a phone call from Alex. He needed to know if she was serious. If she really wanted him to go to the prom with her, he could come home that weekend. Emma was flustered with this idea and stuttered her way through the conversation. Somehow she was able to convince herself that she had convinced Alex that she was just joking about the prom thing, even though deep down she wasn't, but she couldn't admit that to him. It would make things weird, and they were on good footing. In fact, they were each others' best friends. Going out could just complicate things, at least Emma thought so.

The next day at school, Emma accepted one of the prom invitations she had received from the guy who was coming in second place to her in the class rankings, a guy named Kendall who was also a trumpet played in the music program at her school. Kendall and Emma discussed tuxedo styles and colors along with proper color coordination and made plans for Emma to help him get the proper outfit to help her look the best she could for that night.

As the prom night approached, Kendall and Emma had decided to try and go on a couple of practice dates. Just to check that they would be companionable for the night of prom. Everything was looking up when a minor issue came up. The morning of prom, Kendall and some of his friends decided to go skateboarding. Kendall was riding on a ramp at the local skate park when he got cut off by an eight year old whipping around on a board. He ended up crashing hard and breaking his leg. He actually called Emma from the emergency room to make her aware of the situation, urging her to go to prom anyways. When Emma got off the phone with Kendall she was torn between being concerned for her new friend and being angry that her plans went completely awry. In her annoyance, she called the one person she always reached out to in times like this, Alex. Much to Emma's displeasure though, Alex wasn't answering. Emma put the phone on the receiver and threw herself onto her bed and began talking to the stuffed animal Alex gave her, trying to work everything out. About twenty minutes into her talking to herself there was a knock on her bedroom door. She got up, still quite angry and jerked the door open, standing there was Alex holding a tuxedo in a bag.

"Your dad overheard the conversation and called me. Why didn't you, Em?" he looked at her and waited for an answer. "I was trying to still go through all my options Alex. I did try to call your dorm room though. Wait, how long have you been in town?" Emma narrows her eyes while asking the question as if she already knows the answer that is going to come out of Alex's mouth. Alex sees it and grins, "I came into town last night. I said I would come into to town for tonight, remember?"

Emma can only nod her head at this point. She had too many ideas running through her head and they are all going so fast she cannot keep up with them. "You came to rescue me?" is the first sentence she is able to form from the ideas running about in her her. Alex simply shakes his head no at that, "No one can rescue you Emma, you always rescue yourself. I thought I would just offer up myself as a date alternative. I mean, if you don't want to, it is fine. But I do come with my own tux and a cranberry colored vest and tie to go with it. I believe that was the color of dress you finally decided on, correct?"

Emma has recovered some by this time, but is still mildly surprised that Alex was paying that much attention to the many conversations she had held about her choice in dress color, "I will bet the shades don't even match.", challenged Emma. "Well, let's see then,"responded Alex. Emma went and grabbed the dress and Alex open his bag removing the tie. When the two articles of clothing were placed next to each other, the shades were a perfect match. Alex and Emma had no choice but to smile up at each other. "Well, I guess that settles it then Alex, you may pick me up at 6 pm." Emma said with a grin. Alex puts his tie back into his bag and ruffles Emma's hair before responding that he will be in her foyer at 6 pm sharp.

Emma was excited beyond belief. Her carefully planned out evening was going to be even better with the substitution of Alex for Kendall. Alex was quite used to her ways, where Kendall was not. Also with Alex, there was no chance of awkward silences or lapses in conversation. "Too bad the boy just can't dance," she thought to herself. Looking at the clock, she realized it was already 3 pm and if she was going to be ready to go in three hours she had better get going.

Five forty-five arrived and Emma was putting on her last touches of makeup when she heard her dad greeting Alex in the foyer. She knew he would be early, it was like he couldn't help himself. Just like he knew she would come down the stairs at precisely 6 pm because that was the time she said she wanted to be picked up. And at 6 she did descend the stairs. She was not expecting Alex to be quite so handsome all cleaned up, shaved, with his hair styled and in his tuxedo just for her. She was also not expecting the wrist corsage covered with tiny cranberry colored roses that he was holding in his hand. When she was it, she immediately began to blush with embarrassment. "How many times exactly did I talk about my prom plan Alex?" she had to know. Alex just smiled at her and said, "A few, but I try to listen to you when you think things are important. And obviously, tonight is. I got us reservations and we are cutting into your scheduled family picture time."

Being reminded of her schedule spurred Emma back into action. She grabbed her dad and went to the place in the foyer with the best lighting to pose for pictures. She took them by herself, then with her dad, sister and Alex. They then walked out her front door, to the town car Alex had rented for the night, then to the restaurant Emma had mentioned to Alex in her incessant talking about this night. It was "Emma Approved" for a prom dinner. The food was a rich French feast that both of them enjoyed having traveled there with their families just a few years earlier. The talked during the meal about that trip they took, visiting Marseille, Cannes and Paris before heading over to Italy for a few weeks. After dinner they got back into the town car and headed to the hotel where the prom was taking place.

The ballroom looked exquisite. Everything was exactly like Emma planned in her head, even the guy standing next to her while she was entering the room. People turned and looked at the couple in cranberry and black. They both just smiled and Emma knew then she would be the talk of the prom and maybe even win prom queen because of it. Different girls she knew would approach her when Alex wasn't near and ask about the handsome older guy that was with her for the evening. Emma would just laugh and say he was an old friend of the family, but the other girls had doubts about this after seeing Emma and Alex interacting with each other. Emma acted different with Alex, she smiled more and seemed more approachable than she had her entire high school career. Emma was completely oblivious to these things being said about her through the room and was simply focusing on her date. Alex was exactly what she was hoping for in a date. He was charming and polite to her friends, deferential to the administrators present and somehow in his time in college he had learned to dance, and he danced very well.

When the announcements for prom king and queen came out, no one was truly surprise to hear Emma's name called out. Her demeanor during the night had swayed quite a few votes in her favor. She went up to the stage and collected her crown and flowers. Looking out into the crowd she noticed Alex, holding up his drink to toast her success. She looked back at him, grinning widely. Then she stepped off the stage along with the football player who was named prom king and they had their dance together. It lasted half a song before Alex cut in to dance with the new crowned prom queen. They danced for the rest of the evening until the prom was over. Emma was still full of excitement and hungry again so they pulled into a drive through and picked up some greasy fast food to take back to her place.

When they got to Emma's house, Alex went past the main house and drove to her former thinking place. Emma blushed when they got there, remembering what happened the last time the tow of them were alone in that spot. In fact, Emma was lost in her thoughts she didn't notice that the fountain in the backyard was lit and flowing and that there was a table set up with a bottle of sparkling water on ice and some sodas for two. There was also some blankets and pillows set up along with a screen and a video player. Emma looked over at Alex with a look of shock and confusion all over her face. Alex smirked, "Your dad and I knew you wouldn't be ready to go to bed, so we planned this for you. I hope you don't mind." Emma broke out into a huge grin and got out of the car along with Alex and went to sit on the blanket.

Alex joined her quickly and pressed play on the remote that was laid on their blanket. The movie that started up was Emma's favorite, "The Princess Bride." She watched, enraptured by the movie as always, with a blanket around her shoulders and she started the movie sitting next to Alex. By the end of it she was leaning against him with the blanket still around her, smiling at the happily ever after the characters have at the end. Once the credits rolled she looked up at Alex and smiled gently, "Thank you for this." Alex looked down at her with an indulgent smile on his face, "You don't have to thank me for this Emma. I wanted to do it, I enjoyed myself tonight and I had a great time with you." Emma blushed in response and began to look down at the blanket, flustered by what Alex had told her. She thought she was done with this silly crush back when she was twelve. She thought she had matured and grown up, but here she was at eighteen blushing like a 7th grader getting her first compliment. She was about to open her mouth and say something when Alex reached for her jaw, lifting her face up. He smiled looking into her eyes, "It was my pleasure."

Emma blushed at Alex and smiled back, "it is getting late. I'm going to head inside and log on. Message me when you get home, okay?"

Alex looks slightly confused at Emma's sudden detachment but he smiles and lets her know he will. He heads to his car and before he gets in he looks over at her, "I did have a really good time tonight, Emma. I hope you did too."

As Alex drove away, Emma walked up to her room trying to compose herself. She couldn't figure out if Alex was trying to her her something or not.

Emma Woodhouse was eighteen years old when Alex Knightley completely confused her.


End file.
